Ma be tso buai!
I'm
Ari Tison
In Bribri, the word for story is siwa'. Siwa' is synonymous with story, history, knowledge, and wind as our stories carry though the generations like the wind bringing history and knowledge.
I love being a storyteller and getting to continue the tradition. In practice, sometimes this means I'm working on my novels, a poem, learning my Indigenous language, co-translating a Bribri story, or participating in a reading.
who are the bribri people?
We are one of the eight Indigenous people groups of Costa Rica.
I liked to write even as a kiddo!
that's me & my dad
this is me & my dad
I often dress like them all at once–colorful scarves, trousers, and black turtlenecks.
Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera, and Picasso are artists I love.
I love to dance
and once hit up the dance floor with Joy Harjo,
the Poet Laureate of the United States.
I draw pictures of poems, shapes, and arcs while I’m planning a story.
I’m an amateur painter
My husband is one of my favorite people.
He is a musician and and teacher as well. He shows me cool music, and sometimes he even composes me songs! He's currently jazzing it out on the piano.
I love to experiment and write in different forms and for a variety of audiences:for children, adults, and young adults.
It's an honor to create alongside so many other artists, creators, and writers. I continue to feel blessed and grateful to be able to do so as well.